American University is a private doctoral institution situated in a residential neighborhood of northwest Washington, D.C. Our total fall 2008 enrollment was 12,186, with 6,023 degree-seeking undergraduates, 3,297 degree-seeking graduate students, 1,667 law students, and 1,199 students in nondegree certificate programs, Washington Semester, or AU Abroad.

We offer 57 bachelor’s degrees, 51 master’s degrees (not including law), 9 doctoral degrees, and 3 law degrees, as well as more than 60 certificate programs, mostly graduate level. Courses run on a 15-week semester basis in fall and spring, with shorter summer-term classes. In addition, we offer 105 study-abroad programs and alternative breaks. More than 80 percent of our undergraduates and 60 percent of  our graduate students participate in at least one internship or other experiential education program.

Our student body is cosmopolitan and globally diverse, with all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and 144 countries represented. Six percent of undergraduates and 11 percent of graduate students are international.

The university’s mission is carried out by 591 full-time teaching and research faculty, 69 full-time administrative and library faculty, and 1,337 full-time staff. Ninety-four percent of full-time faculty hold the highest degree in their field. Among our 500 adjunct faculty are policy makers, diplomats, journalists, artists, writers, scientists, and business leaders.

American University has six major schools and colleges:

• College of Arts and Sciences (CAS). Founded in 1925, the College of Arts and Sciences is the largest school or college at the university. CAS is home to the departments of anthropology, art, biology, chemistry, computer science, economics, environmental science, history, language and foreign studies, literature, mathematics and statistics, performing arts, philosophy and religion, physics, psychology, and sociology, and the School of Education, Teaching and Health. All departments offer bachelor’s degrees and most offer master’s degrees and graduate certificates. Doctoral degrees are offered in anthropology, economics, history, and psychology. The college, headed by Dean Kay Mussell, professor of literature, has 275 full-time teaching faculty.
• Kogod School of Business (Kogod). Founded in 1955, the school of business contains the departments of accounting and taxation, finance and real estate, information technology, international business, management, and marketing. Kogod is recognized as among the country’s top business schools by BusinessWeek, the Economist: Which MBA?, the Princeton Review, and the Wall Street Journal. The school was ranked  28 in  the 2009 Business Week's "The Best Undergraduate B-Schools," 42 in the 2004 Wall Street Journal–Harris Interactive Business School Survey, 36 by the Wall Street Journal in 2007, and 54 by the Economist in 2009. We offer undergraduate degrees, master of science degrees, a master of business administration, and graduate certificates. Kogod is headed by Dean Richard Durand, professor of marketing, and has 60 full-time teaching faculty. In 2003, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) reaffirmed the school’s accreditation.
• School of Communication (SOC). Established in 1984, the School of Communication is a laboratory for professional education, communication research, and innovative production across the fields of journalism, film and media arts, and public communication. With 45 full-time faculty members and dozens of professionals who serve as adjuncts, SOC is a distinctive community of practice, where journalists, creative storytellers, and communication strategists with a passion for civic engagement and social responsibility work across media platforms. Offering undergraduate and graduate degrees, SOC, under Dean Larry Kirkman, serves as a meeting ground for media makers and policy makers to explore the toughest questions for communication and public affairs.
• School of International Service (SIS). Founded in 1957, the School of International Service is the largest school of international affairs in the country. SIS offers undergraduate degrees in international studies and in language and area studies, a variety of master’s degrees, and a doctoral degree in international relations. Our students study a broad range of fields, including international communication, international development, international economic relations, U.S. foreign policy, international peace and conflict resolution, global environmental politics, international politics, and comparative and regional studies. The school, headed by Dean Louis Goodman, professor of international relations, has 79 full-time teaching faculty.
  
• School of Public Affairs (SPA). The School of Public Affairs was created as a department in 1934 and established as a school in 1957. SPA has three departments—government, public administration and policy, and justice, law and society—and offers bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Our programs have been recognized by U.S. News and World Report and others as among the top-ranked in the country. SPA is also known for its nondegree offerings in such areas as campaign management, women and politics, and lobbying. Dean William LeoGrande, professor of government, heads the school and our 74 full-time teaching faculty.
  
• Washington College of Law (WCL). Washington College of Law was established in 1896, the first law school to be founded by women. The school became a part of American University in 1949. WCL provides students with a superb legal education and unparalleled opportunities for real-world experience through a nationally-acclaimed Clinical Program and exceptional specialized programs, including international law, human rights, intellectual property, business, international commercial arbitration, health, and the environment. WCL degree offerings include JD, LLM, and SJD, as well as multiple domestic and international dual degrees. WCL’s distinguished faculty includes 63 full-time teaching faculty and 49 practitioners in residence, legal writing instructors, and library faculty. One of the most diverse law schools in the United States, WCL is headed by Dean Claudio Grossman, Raymond Geraldson Scholar for International and Humanitarian Law and chair of the United Nations Committee against Torture.
  

In addition to our six major schools, the Washington Semester Program, headed by Dean David Brown, is an integral part of American University. Every term, about 400 students from across the country—and around the world—come to AU to take classes and participate in internships around Washington, D.C. We offer 12 programs per semester on a breadth of subjects, including U.S. foreign policy, journalism, peace and conflict resolution, and American politics. Currently, we partner with more than 200 colleges and universities in the United States and abroad.

The AU Abroad Program is led by Sara Dumont, director, and overseen by Provost Scott Bass. It provides an opportunity for U.S. students to earn college credit, learn a foreign language, and participate in international internships while exploring a new corner of the world. AU Abroad offers more than 100 programs in 41 countries. In 2008, nearly 1,000 AU students participated in an international program.

University Governance

The legal powers of the university are vested in the 32-member Board of Trustees. Executive and administrative authorities are given to the chief executive officer, President Cornelius M. Kerwin. The university administration is composed of Provost Scott A. Bass, chief academic officer; Teresa Flannery, executive director of university communications and marketing; Gail S. Hanson, vice president of campus life; Mary E. Kennard, vice president and general counsel; Thomas J. Minar, vice president of development and alumni relations; Donald L. Myers, chief financial officer and vice president of finance and treasurer; and David E. Taylor, president’s chief of staff. In addition, faculty, staff, and students participate in various levels of governance through university-wide, college-specific, or student representative bodies, committees, councils, and project teams.

Buildings and Facilities

American University’s 89-acre campus consists of the main campus at 4400 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W.; the Tenley satellite campus at 4300 Nebraska Avenue, N.W., home to the Washington Semester Program; and Washington College of Law at 4801 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. We have 51 buildings, including 10 residence halls (housing approximately 3,500 students), and 41 academic and administrative buildings. The Cyrus and Myrtle Katzen Arts Center opened in fall 2005. AU has several administrative buildings located near the university: 4000 Brandywine Street, N.W., 3201 New Mexico Avenue, N.W., and 4200 Wisconsin Avenue, N.W.

February 2009